Garment.



B. I. LAVIGN.

GARMENT.

APPLICAHON FILED JULY 13.1918.

1,287,354. I A Patented Dec. 10, 1918.

BENJAMIN J'. LAVIGN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

' GARMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 10, 1918.

Application filed July 13, 1918. Serial No. 244,803.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN J. LAYIGN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Bronx, in the county of Bronx and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Garment, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to garments known as bloomers, and has reference more particularly to the draw strings of same.

An object of the invention is to provide bloomers such as are worn in gyn'masiun'ls which can be quickly converted to have the ap earance of a skirt.

nother object of the invention is to provide a draw string which has an elastic section therein the stretching of which is limited by a section of the draw string.

With the above and other objects in view, the nature of which will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as herein fully described, illustrated and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of the application, similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective elevation of the end of a leg of a pair of bloomers embodying my invention, a portion of the pocket accommodating the draw string being broken out to show the details of construction;

Fig. 2, a similar view showing the ends of the legs gathered by pulling out a portion of the draw string, the pocket for the draw string being partly broken out to show the details of construction;

Fig. 3, a fragmentary cross section through the pocket accommodating the draw string;

Fig. 4, a diagrammatic view of the tape and the elastic associated therewith as they would appear outside of the pocket; and

Fig. 5, a diagrammatic view of the draw string when the same is drawn to gather the ends of the legs of the bloomers.

Referring to the drawings, 6 is a pocket for the draw string provided in the bottom of a leg of the garment. The pocket has two transverse slits 7 in close proximity to one another and between which slits a portion of an endless tape 8 passes when the tape is located within the pocket. A p01,

tion 10 of the tape 8 is gathered by an elastic member 9 secured to the tape. The length of the gathered portion 10 of the tape 8 is such that it prevents over-stretching of the elastic member and, thereby, damage to same. Furthermore, the gathered portion 10 of the tape 8 will retain the tape in the pocket in case the elastic member 9 ruptures, and, thereby, will permit the gathering of the ends of the legs of the bloomers without the elastic member.

To retain the ends of the legs of the bloomers gathered, the tape is provided with means whereby it may be secured to prevent the gathered portions of the garment from expanding. The securing means are preferably in the shape of loops 11 formed in the tape, but, if desired snap fasteners, hooks and eyes, or button holes may be formed in place of the loopsin the body of the tape. These loops are to engage securing means 12,

which is preferably a button secured to the bloomers in proximity to the slits 7 so that a loop drawn through any of the slits may be engagedby the button 12, for the purpose of adjustment to the size of the leg.

To eliminate the necessity of drawing the tape through both slits, I prefer to secure the endless tape near one of the slits 7. Preferably the means for securing the button to the material of the bloomers also secures the tape within the pocket (see Fig. 3).

When the loop 10 of the draw string or tape is disengaged from the button 12 the gathered portion of the legs of the bloomers is free to expand, as the tension on the elastic member is released, and this will cause the loops to be drawn through the slit into the pocket. A further expansion by the bands will cause the tape to enter the pocket; and when the leg is expanded, as shown in Fig. 1, the legs of the bloomers will have the appearance of a skirt. Therefore, it will be seen that the change of the appearance of the bloomers into a skirt or vice versa can be accomplished quickly by means of the draw strings or tapes described.

an elastic section normally gathering a portion of said string.

2. In combination with bloomers having a pocket for a draw string near the bottom of the legs of the bloomers, each of said pockets having transverse slits, an endless draw string or tape within the pocket passing through said slits, a button, means securing the button and also securing said endless string Within the pocket, a loop in the string-adapted to be drawn through the slits for engaging the button, and an elastic section, adapted to normally gather a portion of the string, so related to the loop that the said elastic portion is adapted to stretch when the material at the pocket is to be gathered by the string, the length of the gathered section of the string being'such as to prevent an excessive stretch of the elastic member.

BENJAMIN J. LAVIGN.

Copies of this, patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patent;

Washington, D. C. 

